"ASK HR!"

Sherman Williams:
Developing Self-Discipline and Overcoming Procrastination. Overcoming fear of success.

Sherman,

It just so happens that I am very big on those things. Anyone who has read the past couple of posts here surely understands that I am hard on matters involving "Self." This is because I want people to begin taking responsibility for themselves and understanding that everything starts from within. People have to stop waiting for the next person to do the things necessary to bring into their lives the things they want to have, and the reality is the majority of people in the world carry themselves just that way; whether they know it or not, or whether they want to admit it or not.

People need to become very much more cognizant of the words they use. Most people tend to say things and not realize or even care about the meanings behind what they say; however, the reality is that the things we say are like food to the subconscious mind. What happens most of the time is that we incorporate phrases into our lexicon that do not benefit us in any way. However, we go through life like this and wonder why we're not exactly where we want to be. Here's an example ... how many times have you either said or heard someone say, "it's cold as hell!" If you take a moment to THINK about that statement, does it make sense?

So, with that said, it's rather difficult to tell people how to improve things like "Self-" confidence, "Self-" control, "Self-" esteem, and "Self-" discipline. By use of the very word "Self," it should be understood that these are things that are discovered and developed from within. Anyone lacking in these areas must first acknowledge that lacking. This is not difficult because when there is chaos in one's life it is more than likely because one or more of these things is missing.

In any case, the solution is really just as simple as people knowing what the words mean and then implementing those meanings into their lives. On the other hand, the difficulty lies in taking the necessary actions involved with discovering those meanings and actively implementing them into their lives. This is nothing more than the battle between "theory and application." Theoretically just about anything is possible; however, when it comes to the actual "application" of the theoretical, that's where the problems may occur. In other words, it's the age old saying "easier said than done." The problem with that is people will say just that and use it as an excuse to do nothing.

These leads me to the issue of procrastination. In my book, "FIND A WAY TO MAKE A WAY!" there is a lesson which I entitled, "Procrastination Gives You Psychic Ability." In a nutshell, when you put off doing that which you know you have to do, you pretty much predict that down the line you will not be where you want to be or fully accomplish the objective set before you. You see, people are driven by two equally powerful forces ... pain and pleasure.

Sadly, those who procrastinate do so because the immediate pleasure of doing nothing is more important than the pain associated with actually putting in the work necessary to succeed. Even more sad; because in the end, since the work necessary to succeed was put off, whatever work that was done - if any - may not have been enough to do the job right, and thus you end up with lackluster results. In the end, the majority of people are more willing to work harder to avoid pain than they are willing to achieve pleasure.

However, what they fail to realize is that the true pleasures of success come only after overcoming the obstacles that lay before them. No one ever became successful by putting off the work necessary to achieve success. In short, the best way to overcome procrastination is prioritize your tasks, and then take action towards completing them. You could be standing directly above a buried treasure; however, it really wouldn't matter if it were buried five feet or five miles beneath your feet, if you were to keep putting off picking up a shovel and digging for it.

Now ... let's talk about this "fear of success." I do not believe one bit that people are afraid of success. It just does not make any sense whatsoever ... Kind of like that "cold as hell" thing we talked about earlier. There are certain things that are mandatory requirements that must be possessed in order for someone to become successful. Things like courage, endurance, and tenacity to name a few. Becoming successful takes effort. It takes hard work. So let's have a little reality check here, shall we? People are not afraid of becoming successful, they are afraid of putting in the work necessary to become successful. Sometimes people will work just hard enough to reach a certain level in life and then just even off and squat where they are. Some find themselves happy right where they are, and if that's the case, then cool ... more power to `em. However, there are those who say that they want more out of life, but they are not willing to do what is required to get it. They might say, "someday I'm gonna' ..." but they never really do.

In the end, our collective successs lies in our ability to bring out the best within ourselves individually. We must learn to hold ourselves accountable to ourselves and take responsibility for our own lives. Our success or failure does not lie in what our friends do, what the government does, or what our bosses and co-workers do. It's about what WE do for ourselves. We must envision the life and the future we want for ourselves, and then set the goal to make those dreams a reality. Then we must take the necessary action to educate ourselves and obtain whatever training and skills are necessary to WORK towards achieving those goals. Finally, we must TAKE ACTION.

In the end, when it comes to "Developing Self-Discipline, Overcoming Procrastination & Overcoming Fear of Success," there ain't nothing to it but to do it ...

But that's "easier said than done," isn't it?